Politics, Legal & Regulation

February 4, 2022 @ 12:47 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

India is to tax and regulate Bitcoin and crypto after previously considering a ban, which could be the next step towards making it legal tender in the country, suspects deVere Group CEO Nigel Green. Green’s assessment comes as Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a… Read More

February 4, 2022 @ 10:08 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this week, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published an updated Q&A on the pan-European crowdfunding rules. Updated rules, called European Crowdfunding Service Providers Regulation (ECSPR), became actionable last November but questions remain and European member states are still sorting things out. To help… Read More

February 3, 2022 @ 6:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Federal Reserve of Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have published a whitepaper on the possibility of a central bank digital currency or CBDC. The document has been anticipated for some time as the collaboration was announced in 2020. The initiative has… Read More

February 2, 2022 @ 10:25 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The Central Bank of Kuwait this week released guidelines for digital banks. They said this falls within its overall efforts to utilize the latest advancements to bolster financial stability, encourage innovation, and meet future economic needs. Governor Dr. Mohammad Y. Al-Hashel said guaranteeing the smooth operation… Read More

February 2, 2022 @ 3:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a “bifurcated” judgment against an issuer 420 Real Estate LLC and its CEO Willard Jackson, parties that raised money on an investment crowdfunding platform. As was reported last fall, the SEC had filed fraud charges against TruCrowd… Read More

February 2, 2022 @ 9:53 am By JD Alois  |  

While multiple countries around the world are pushing forward with a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and the US is reviewing the pros and cons, one prominent DC-based think tank is telling public officials not to move forward on a digital dollar. The Competitive Enterprise… Read More

February 1, 2022 @ 11:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

Global Digital Finance, an advocacy group promoting digital assets (crypto-assets) has published its annual compendium of the digital asset sector. It should come as no surprise that GDF would like to see greater clarity globally when it comes to regulating crypto. According to the group’s… Read More

February 1, 2022 @ 9:29 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The Reserve Bank of India plans to launch a digital rupee in the 2022-23 fiscal year that begins on April Fools’ Day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today, saying it will boost the digital economy. She made the comments while delivering the country’s annual budget…. Read More

February 1, 2022 @ 10:08 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sourced Capital, a UK property investment platform and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Sourced Group, has announced that it received direct authorization from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and “acquired Peer Funding Limited, a peer-to-peer business platform.” Sourced Capital says that it proved its solid track… Read More

February 1, 2022 @ 8:30 am By Justin Daniels  |  

Non-fungible tokens (NFT) are currently the belle of the blockchain ball. The revenue related to sales of NFT’s are staggering: $69 Million for Beeple while NBA’s Top Shot swished over $700M in sales in less than a year. Open Sea, the largest NFT exchange, has a… Read More

February 1, 2022 @ 8:03 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has introduced its central database for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT). This European reporting System for material CFT/AML weaknesses, EuReCA, will be key to coordinating ongoing efforts by relevant authorities and the EBA to prevent and combat money laundering… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 11:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued another Q&A about the pan-European securities crowdfunding rules. Updated rules addressing cross-border securities offerings or the European Crowdfunding Service Providers Regulation (ECSPR) went into effect across the entire European Union (EU) last November. But interested platforms must be approved… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 7:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, several Senate and House Democrats sent a letter to established crypto miners.  The letter queried miners on the negative impact on the climate due to high energy usage caused by mining crypto, like Bitcoin. The letter was signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 3:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Calling Democrat authored legislation a “direct attack on the digital asset industry, Senator Cynthia Lummis is warning industry participants and proponents alike that the America Competes Act (HR 4521) may decimate the crypto sector. In a series of tweets, Senator Lummis, well-known for her advocacy… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 8:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital asset firm Gemini says that they’re pleased to confirm that Gemini Galactic Markets (Gemini Galactic), an affiliate of the Gemini Trust Company, has received approval from FINRA to serve as a broker-dealer registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and has officially… Read More

January 30, 2022 @ 9:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

PeerBerry shareholders have reportedly set deadlines to introduce the crowdfunding platform As noted in an update, the license to operate a crowdfunding business across the European Union has been provided by the Bank of Lithuania, which is considered to be one of the most progressive… Read More

January 30, 2022 @ 12:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kazakhstan, which is reportedly the world’s second-largest miner of Bitcoin (BTC), the flagship cryptocurrency, has closed down its digital currency mining operations until the end of this month. Kazakhstan‘s State electricity provider KEGOC decided to cut off the supply to the virtual currency miners after… Read More

January 28, 2022 @ 12:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has released its initial remedies consultation for its card-acquiring market review. Each time a consumer carries out a card payment – for instance, when purchasing their weekly groceries – the merchant makes use of card-acquiring services to take the… Read More

January 27, 2022 @ 10:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved BSTX as a national securities exchange thus ushering in an era of a regulated exchange utilizing blockchain technology. The complete SEC filing is available below. BSTX is a joint venture between BOX Digital Markets, LLC and tZERO. … Read More

January 27, 2022 @ 4:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On January 25, 2022, the New York State Senate reportedly voted to confirm Adrienne A. Harris as the Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS). Adrienne A. Harris stated: “I thank Governor Hochul for my nomination. I thank the New York… Read More